Located just 1 mile north of Balboa Park this San Diego unique gem of a museum. The J.A. Cooley Museum is the private collection of Jim & Carmen Cooley. The Museum is a showcase of all things vintage with an emphasis in San Diego history.  The approximately 10,000 square foot space  is filled with displays of artifacts that showcase the history of technology from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.  The 40 antique collections include model trains, cast iron toys, spittoons, tools, cuckoo clocks, license plates, World War I posters, phonographs, typewriters, over 2,000 cameras, and musical instruments; something for everyone and all ages. The car collection is San Diego’s best collection of 100-year-old vehicles, including cars from 1886 through 1981.  The majority of these cars are unrestored, one of a kind or last in existence.